William a



(No Model.) Y

W. A. MILES.

GONDENSER FOR STEAM PUMPS.

No. 271,097i Patented Jan.23 ,11883.

N. Farms. mwumgnvlm, wmingrm l1A c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. MILES, OF OOPAKE IRON WORKS, NEI YORK.

CONDENSE-R FOR STEAM-PUMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,097, dated January 23, 1883. Application filed Detiember 2l, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. MILES, of Copake Iron Works, in the county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented an Improvementin Gondensers for Steam-Pom ps, of' which the following is a specication.

Inanother application I have set forth the main features of my improvement to relate to 'a valve that closes when the steam-pressure is less than the pressurein the suction water-way, so as to preventwater flowing into the steampipe. Thepresentinventionisin thesameclass of appliances, and relates to the following features: I combine with the suction water-way and the exhaust-steam pipe opening into the same an expansion-chamber which receives the exhauststeam and allows the same to How more gradually into the suction-pipe than it would when the exhaust-steam passes direct to the waterway. I also construct the valve at the end of the exhaust-steam pipe in a peculiar manner, and I employ a device for removing any air that may accumulate in the suction Water-way, thereby preventing the pumpingoperation being interfered with, especially in cases where the pump is running very slow and the ow of water is not sufiicientto carry with it any air that may come in with the exhaust-steam. A

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectionfof Ithe apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view of a modification in the exhaust-steam valve. Fig. 3 is a section in larger size of the valves and parts at the top and bottom of the air-cham- The pipe c is to extend to any suitablepumping apparatus, and the pipe b is the suction or rising pipe that leads from the water, either direct or with Siphon-legs of greater or less length between the pipes ot and b. The objects of having Siphon-legs having been set forth in my aforesaid application, I remark that they are beneficial when used under similar conditions with the parts herein named; but some of the present devices are not necessarily applied with saidsiphon-legs.

I prefer to use a branch pipe, c', with a cock or valve, a2, in it, so thatin starting the pump this valve maybe opened, and after the water has been drawn to the pump this valve may be closed gradually and the water drawn up to fill the siphon.

The exhaust-steam from the pumping-engines passes by the pipe e into an expansionchamhenf, of suitable size and shape, preferably of about the same contents as the steamcylinder, so that there will he ample room for the puff or sudden expansion of the exhauststeam, and the pipe It leads the steam into the suction water-pipe b, near the upper part thereof. The expansion-chamber allows the steam to pass nearly continuously into the suction water-pipe instead ot' entering the same suddenly or with a put'l". There is to be a che-ckvalve to prevent any water from passing back into` the steam-pipe or expansion-chamber. This check-valve may be in the pipe h, as seen at l, Fig. 2; but I prefer to use the valve shown in Fig. 1, in which the pipe lt passes verticallyinto the suction water-pipe, and to the "tend of it is screwed a socket, o, having legs on its lower end connecting to the socket the cup p, and the Valve l is in the form of a ring surrounding and guided by the socket o, and 0I" a size to rest at its outer edge upon the edges of the cup p, and thereby close when the vacuum in the exhaust-steam pipe h is greater than that in the suction water-way; but when thesaid vacuum is greatestin the suction water-way the steam escapes freely' into the water and is condensed, thus maintaining in the exhaust to the engine a vacuum as great as that in the suction water-Way. In all instances the steam issues in a thin sheet or stratum from the pipe h into the suction-pipe. In Fig. l this stratum of steam issues between the edge of the cup p and the edge of the valve l. In Fig. 2, Where the check-valvel is in the pipe It, the stratum ot' steam issues between the edges of the Haring mouth at the end of the pipe It and the edge of a detlector, l, thatis supported by said pipe it.

Sometimes water of condensation will form in the expansion-vessel f, and to remove the same I employ a pipe, a, leading from the bot- -tom of said Vessel, and terminating within the water-way inra nozzle opening in the direction ofthe ow of the water, so that any water ot' condensation will be sucked out of the said expansion-vessel, and I employ a check-valve at m in this pipe n, to prevent water passing back into the expansion-vessel. I

When the pumping-engine is running very slow, the air that may pass with the stealn into IOO the suction water-pipe may accumulate iu the top bend of the suction-pipe. To remove the same I adopt an automatic discharge, constructed as follows:

The cylinder or vessel r is above the top of the suction-pipe, and I arrange two valves, s and t, connected by a stem, u, so that when the vessel becomes filled with air a steam valve or plug, 3, is operated by the float lv, and steam is admitted to move the valves s and t and allow water to run in and drive the air'out, aft-er which the valve or .cock 3 is moved the other way by the float and the steam shut off, and the parts fall by gravity and resume their normal position. In carrying out this feature I make the valves s t cylindrical and place them in the cylinders 5 and 6, and around each valve there are two channels cut or turned. There vis a waterway, 7, to the cylinder 5 and an air-tube, 8, opening at the lower end into the suction water-way b at the highest point, and there is a tube, t', extending from 5 up to near the top of the air-vessel i'.

The oat e is free to move up and down on the stem u, and at its eXtreme downward movement it rests upon the cross-arm 10 and moves the same downwardly and with it the rod 12, that passes through a small gland in the top of the air-vessel and connects with the arm 13 of the three-way cock. From this three-way cock there is a port, 14, leading to the lower end of the cylinder 6, below the piston-valve t, and the steam-pipe 24 leads also to this threeway cock, and 15 is an escape at this cock to the atmosphere.

At the cylinder 6 there is an air-passage at 18 and the water-pi-pe 19. The parts are so constructed that in the normal position the valve t closes the ports of the air-passage 1S and the water-pipe 19, and the valve s opens the waterppe 7 and the passageS through the air-pipe t. Hence, presuming that the vessel i is full, or nearly so, of water, the bubbles of air pass up freely from the suction water-pipe, through the pipe 8 t', into the vessel r, and at the same time the water runs out therefrom into the suction water-way by the pipe 7. When, now, the

, air-port18. Consequently water runs into this vessel r by the pipe 19 and passage 20, driving out the air by the said port 18. When therefore the air has been expelled, and the float, rising, moves the arm 21, rod 12, and threeway cock 3, the steam is shut off, an escape opened for the same, and the cylindrical valves s and t, dropping, restore the parts to their normal position, ready for. the air from the suction water-way to pass into the chamber and gradually displace the water, as before mentioned.

I remark that the valves may be moved periodically by hand, or by a connection to a steam-engine or other suitable means, so as to dispense with the float.

I do not limit myself to any particular character of valves, as they may be varied so long as the air and water are received'and disch argcd alternately to free the suction water-way of any air passing into the same.

I claim as my invention` 1. In a condensing apparatus for steampumps, the combination, with the suction water-way and the exhaust-steam pipe opening into such water-way, of an expansion-vessel receiving the steam before it reaches the waterway, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a condensingA apparatus for steam-pumps, of a suction water-Way, an exhaust-steam pipe opening into such wavalve, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the suction waterway and the exhaust-steam pipe, of a cup at the end of such steam-pipe and an annular valve surrounding the steam-pipe and resting at'its edges upon the cup, substantially as set Cforth.

4. In a condensing apparatus for steampumps, the combination, with the suction water-way and the exhaust-steam pipe entering such water-way, of an air-vessel above the suction waterway and an opening leading into such air-vessel, for the purposes and substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the suction waterway in a pumping apparatus, of au air-vessel vabove the hightest point of such water-way, an opening and valve for air to pass from the water-way into the vessel, lan opening and valve for water to pass out of the air-vessel into the water-way, and means for supplying water into substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the air-vessel, of the sliding valves s and t and their respective pipes and ports, the ioat, and the three-way cock or valve to admit steam to raise the valves s and t, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 16th day of December, A. D. 1882.

WILLIAM A. MILES.

Witnesses GEO. T. PINCKMEY, GHAs. H. SMITH.

ter-way, an expansion-vessel, and a checkthe air-vessel for displacing the atmosphere 

